10th NASS: Huge setback as Northern Elders Oppose Tinubu, Rejects Akpabio As Senate President

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The race for Senate President of the 10th Assembly entered a new phase on Monday as the Northern Elders Forum rejected Godswill Akpabio, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, preferred aspirant carpeting Vice President, Kashim Shettima for what it called “imposition” and “unfortunate” comments.

Akpabio, who served in the administration of Muhammadu Buhari as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs decamped from the PDP after serving as Governor for 8 years and Senate Minority Leader.

The APC announced him weeks ago as its preferred aspirant. But several aspirants have kicked against his choice and are mobilising against him.

The elders have joined the fray insisting the senators-elect must be allowed to do what is best for them.

Consequently, the northern socio-political group has moved to ensure anyone from the North is voted on Tuesday when the Assembly is convened than voting under pressure and guidance.

Former Zamfara State Governor, Abdul-Azeez Yari and Mohammed Sani Musa, the lawmaker from Niger State are key senators from the North still in the race.

The elders accused Shettima of using religion as a factor to determine who occupies the third position in the land, cautioning that religion, either Islam or Christianity, should not be a deciding factor.

It has therefore decided to rally round the 58 northern senators-elect to ensure they choose who they prefer.

It was gathered the forum has begun calls to the senators-elect and are using different political stakeholders to speak with them to know the essence of why they should vote in a northern senator as president.

This was as it was reported that attempts by the Akpabio camp to obtain the Forum’s support have failed.

The elders took exception to Shettima’s comments weeks ago when he said, “under the current dispensation, the worst incompetent Southern Christian is better than the most puritanical Northern Muslim for the Presidency of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

The elders who have kept their plans secret till the eve of the election said during a press conference by its Director, Publicity and Advocacy, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, that the Vice President’s statement was “unfortunate.”

According to the former Secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission, “The nation has been made aware of comments made by His Excellency, Senator Kashim Shettima, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in the course of strengthening the cause for election of leaders of the 10th Assembly, which the APC and the government prefer.

“A particularly outstanding comment made by him is that under the current dispensation, the worst, the most incompetent Southern Christian is better than the most puritanical Northern Muslim for the Presidency of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The Northern Elders Forum has cautioned the President Tinubu administration on many occasions to respect the rights and privileges of elected members of the Legislature to choose their leaders and to conduct its campaign for its preferences with sensitivity and decorum,” he said.

He stressed that, “The statement of Vice President Shettima in the context of the commitment of the administration to determine the legislature’s leadership makes references to Muslim and Christian faiths in the most unbecoming and irresponsible manner imaginable.

“It deepens the worrying position of religious faith as a fault line in our politics today and denigrates the place of an important value such as faith in conduct of elected leaders, whether they are Muslims or Christians.

“The suggestion that poor faith and incompetence can be preferred to piety and competence when it suits political interests sends damaging signals to a nation desperate for good leadership.

“A statement of this nature coming from a Northern Muslim who has earned his respect in the course of his political career is most unfortunate,” he said.

“The suggestion that the piety of leaders could be sacrificed for political exigences offends a nation of Christians and Muslims who watch as leaders swear by the Qur’an and the Bible to protect the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The Vice President has done himself, his faith and his standing a great injury with his comments, and the Forum hopes he can find appropriate opportunities to assure Nigerians that the Tinubu administration will respect sensitive values that define us as Nigerians.

“It is important that Nigerians discard the notion that the quality of our faith has no place in deciding those who lead us.

“It is instructive that leaders who rode on the back of faith now turn around to advise that it is of no significance where their interests are at stake.

“The Forum advises the Tinubu administration once again to respect the rights of the legislature to operate as prescribed in the constitution and allow legislators a free hand to choose their leaders,” he stated.

He pointed out that, “It is the desperation to determine leaders of the legislature that is responsible for damaging gaffes such as the nation just heard from our Vice President, and it may not be the last damage that can be caused to our democracy and national cohesion.”